Dating

Five Classic Cocktails Every Man Should Know How to Make

Want an easy way to impress guests or a date? Look no further than craft cocktails.

There seem to be unlimited choices, so I recommend sticking to the classics if you’re just getting started.

Remember, it’s better to have five cocktails that you knock out of the park than twenty that come out average. So, play with these recipes and perfect them to your liking.

I spent nearly a decade bartending and worked at some prestigious cocktail bars that won awards locally and nationally. These recipes are the exact ones I would follow behind the bar.

Old Fashioned

By far one of the most popular cocktails, the old-fashioned saw a major resurgence in popularity about ten years ago.

This cocktail is whiskey-forward, with some sugar and bitters to take the bite off. Be careful with the sugar because it’s easy to ruin this tasty drink by over-sweetening.

Ingredients

1.5 oz bourbon or rye whiskey
.5 oz demerara simple syrup (or one cube)
Bitters
Lemon peel (if people say orange, I say F the haters)

Instructions

Measure and combine the whiskey, simple syrup, and bitters into a mixing glass.
Add ice and stir.
Strain onto fresh ice (large cube preferred) in a rocks glass.
Express the lemon peel over the liquid and drop it into the cocktail.

Martini

This timeless drink is a versatile and approachable cocktail known for its simplicity.

Martinis can be made with a vermouth rinse, a half ounce of vermouth, or none. You can also ditch the vermouth and add olive juice to your preferred taste. Hence the phrases dirty, extra dirty, and porn star dirty.

Martinis are great for cocktails with friends, and if your liquor cabinet lacks ingredients, you’re in luck because this drink calls for very little. It’s important not to go overkill on the dry vermouth. Many people opt out of the vermouth and let the natural dilution from the ice cut the bite of the liquor.

Ingredients

2.5 oz premium vodka or gin
.5 oz dry vermouth
1 dash orange bitters
Lemon peel

Instructions

Rinse the inside of your martini glass with the vermouth and dump it. All you need is the residual vermouth in the glass, or it can be overpowering.
Combine the vodka or gin and the bitters into a shaker tin.
Add ice and shake.
Double strain into a martini or coupe glass.
Express the lemon over the cocktail and drop it into the glass.

Pro Tip: For dirty martinis, substitute the vermouth and lemon for olive juice and olives. For extra dirty, double the olive juice.

Negroni

This cocktail brings an exciting depth of flavor.

The gin brings its natural piney flavor, paired with the sweetness of the vermouth and the bitterness of the Campari. Although negronis may be an acquired taste, they won’t leave you desiring more.

Ingredients

1.5 oz Premium Gin
.75 oz Campari
.75 oz Sweet Vermouth
Orange Bitters
Lemon Peel

Instructions

Combine gin, Campari, vermouth, and bitters in a mixing glass.
Add ice and stir.
Strain over fresh ice (large cube preferred) in a rocks glass.
Express lemon peel.

Margarita

Easily the most versatile drink around, margaritas are the perfect drink to experiment with.

I’ve seen margaritas incorporate just about every fruit, vegetable, and herb around. Imagine a pineapple basil or strawberry habanero marg. It all comes down to preference.

Please, don’t use triple sec in your margaritas. It makes margaritas taste sweet and cheap. If you want to add some depth, add a splash of Cointreau on top of the cocktail after you’re done making it.

For this recipe, I keep it classic.

Ingredients

1.5 oz premium Blanco tequila
.75 oz fresh squeezed lime juice
.75 oz agave syrup 1:1 agave simple syrup (equal parts blue agave syrup and water)
Salt for the rim if desired
Lime wheel

Instructions

Salt the rim of the glass if desired.
Combine the tequila, lime juice, and agave simple syrup in a shaker tin.
Shake on ice.
Strain contents into a rocks glass over fresh ice.
Garnish with a lime wheel.

Pro Tip: Substitute the tequila with mezcal and muddle jalapeno to create a spicy and smoky margarita (my favorite).

Manhattan

The Manhattan is the perfect entry-level classic cocktail.

Sweet vermouth makes the two ounces of whiskey palatable without making the drink sweet. Be careful because these things pack a punch.

Ingredients

2 oz premium bourbon or rye whiskey (I prefer rye)
1 oz premium sweet vermouth (Carpano Antica is best)
2 dashes of Angostura bitters
Orange peel or brandied cherry for garnish (do not use desert cherries)

Instructions

Combine the whiskey, vermouth, and bitters in a mixing glass.
Stir contents on ice.
Strain into a martini or coupe glass (up), or strain over a large cube in a rocks glass.
Express the orange peel over the drink and drop it into the glass, or put a pick through a brandied cherry and drop it into the glass.